AGENDA #3a(1)

From: Elisabeth Benfey [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Wednesday, October 31, 2007 12:42 PM
To: Sabrina Oliver
Cc: Tanya H Freeman; Pat Lowry; Dana Stidham; Gene Poveromo; Town Council; Shelley deFosset
Subject: November 12th agenda request

Dear Ms. Oliver,

Dear Mr. Stancil,

My neighbors and I would like to like to have a chance to discuss the following business with the Town Council at the next Public meeting on Monday, November 12th, at 7PM. Please let us know if we you can put our request on the agenda for that day. Thank you,

Elisabeth Benfey and Hillsborough Street neighbors

We respectfully petition the Council to discuss, and vote on the funding of a consultant to prepare the nomination of our neighborhood to the National Register of Historic Places. The letter, below, explains in detail the history of this initiative. We would like the Council to address this issue on its June 11th meeting.

We thank you in advance for putting this item on the agenda.

Elisabeth Benfey

Tanya Freeman

Shelley Defosset

Pat Lowry

My neighbors and I have been working over the past year to put our neighborhood (the Franklin-Rosemary Historic District) on the National Register of Historic Places. As you know, the area North of Rosemary is already on the Register, and we are just trying to expand the protection to our area, South of Rosemary down to the old Tavern on Hillsborough Street, West to Cobb Terrace, and East to Tenney Circle (roughly).

We were informed in June that the National Register Advisory Council, which met on June 8, 2006, has approved the Chapel Hill Historic District Boundary Expansion Study List application. The expansion area is now on the State Study List. 

We are now at the stage where a consultant must be hired to prepare the nomination for the proposed Chapel Hill National Register District Expansion. The approximate consultant's fee is $10,000.  We applied for an HPF grant for $5,000. As a sponsor for this grant application, the Town of Chapel Hill agreed to pay (this is a condition to receive this grant) the matching $5,000. 

We were informed last spring, however, that we did not get the grant. Anne Swallow, from the NC State Historic Preservation Office (NCHPO), has assured us that, I quote, "The boundary expansion area is certainly worthy of being listed in the National Register." In view of this comment, we consider that it makes sense to continue the application process. However, we cannot fund the consultant ourselves. 

We asked the Historic Commission for a recommendation that the Town pay for the consultant in full.  Attached, please find the summary of the Commission's action sent to us by Dana Stidham.